(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a superconducting electron beam generator for generating a high quality electron beam having a uniform energy level distribution, which beam is emitted by an intense electric field from a superconductor.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Generally speaking, in a conventional electric field emission type electron beam generator, a dc high voltage only or a dc voltage together with an ac high voltage is applied to a normally conductive metal member, so that the required electron beam is emitted from the normally conductive metal member. However, in the conventional electron beam generator of the electric field emission type, which is operated at room temperature, electrons emitted from the metal member have energy levels which are distributed in a wide range, that is, the energy levels of those electrons are widely distributed, so that the coherency of the emitted electron beam is too poor to provide a sharp electron beam. Therefore, the performances of high resolution electron microscopes, electron gums used for high quality X-ray generators and the like, which employ these conventional electron beam generators, have definite limitations.